7 ways TAFE can launch your career in health, nursing & care
Are you looking for a career where your skills will be in high demand – and you can help make a difference in people’s lives?
The health, nursing and care industries are always looking for skilled and passionate workers. Studying at TAFE can be the perfect way to get qualified fast and jump right into a career with lots of opportunities for growth.
Here are just a few of the career paths in healthcare that TAFE can get you started on right now.
1. Nursing
Nursing can be a challenging but rewarding career, where you’ll play an essential role in looking after your patients’ healthcare.
Studying a Diploma of Nursing HLT54121 can be your starting point, giving you the skills and knowledge to perform general nursing duties in hospitals and other healthcare settings. You'll learn about things like:
- delivering injections
- administering medications
- measuring and recording vital signs
- observing patients for changes
- infection control.
Once you graduate, you’ll be able to start working as an enrolled nurse, providing care under the direction of a registered nurse. You may then choose to continue on to a Bachelor of Nursing and become a registered nurse, opening you up to further career opportunities and growth.
1. Nursing
2. Emergency health care
If you’re calm under pressure and love working as part of a team, emergency health care could be a great career path for you.
You can start with a Certificate III in Non-Emergency Patient Transport HLT31120 and quickly gain the skills to assist in ambulances, provide first aid and safely transport pre-booked patients.
The next level up is a Diploma of Emergency Health Care HLT51020, which allows you to play a vital role assessing patients in an emergency, transporting them to hospital, and providing critical life support and care.
From there, you may choose to study a Bachelor of Paramedicine to become a paramedic, or continue working in roles such as Ambulance Transport Attendant (ATA) or Patient Transport Officer (PTO).
3. Disability support
As a disability support worker, you can make a meaningful difference in the lives of people with a disability – perfect if you’re patient, flexible and driven to help people.
Studying a Certificate IV in Disability Support CHC43121 will give you the skills and knowledge to provide individualised support and empower your clients to live more independently and achieve their goals.
You’ll be able to work in residential or community-based settings and work with clients with diverse needs, helping to improve their quality of life.
4. Aged care
With our ageing population, qualified and compassionate aged care workers are always in high demand.
When you study a Certificate IV in Ageing Support CHC43015, you’ll learn to support older people with skill and dignity, helping to improve their quality of life. You’ll gain skills and knowledge in topics including:
- falls prevention
- dementia care
- palliative care
- service planning and delivery
- elderly health and hygiene.
This can open you up to a range of job opportunities and career growth in community, healthcare and residential aged care settings.
4. Aged care
5. Health services assistance
Studying a Certificate III in Health Services Assistance HLT33115 gives you a great foundation to start working in support roles in hospitals or other healthcare settings.
You'll develop the skills and knowledge to perform essential duties such as:
- transporting patients
- preparing and maintaining beds
- implementing infection control policies
- following food safety procedures.
You'll also gain an understanding of basic medical terminology and healthy body systems, preparing you for in-demand roles such as orderly, nursing assistant, patient services assistant or operating theatre technician.
6. Allied health assistance
Helping patients with rehabilitation from injury, illness or surgery can be a rewarding career path with lots of opportunity.
With a Certificate IV in Allied Health Assistance HLT43021, you can work alongside health professionals like physiotherapists and occupational therapists, helping them to deliver therapeutic treatments and programs to get patients moving and feeling better.
You may then decide to pursue further qualifications in health and biomedicine, or continue working as a therapy assistant or community rehabilitation worker.
7. Health administration
Treating patients isn’t the only way to contribute in the healthcare industry – there’s also a lot of important work to be done behind the scenes.
If have good organisational skills and enjoy administrative tasks, working in a support role in a hospital, community health centre or private practice could be a great choice for you.
Studying a Certificate III in Health Administration HLT37315 will give you skills in things like:
- maintaining patient and financial records
- managing information and resources
- implementing infection control policies
- using basic medical terminology.
Start your healthcare career with VU Polytechnic
Ready to get started on a fulfilling career in the healthcare sector? VU Polytechnic offers a range of courses across aged care, disability, nursing, emergency health and more.
Studying at our Footscray, Werribee, Sunshine or St Albans campuses, you’ll practice your skills in well-equipped facilities and get the supervised experience you need to confidently apply for healthcare roles.
